Archive for the ‘Design’ Category

Is your website an expense or a revenue producer?

Tuesday, September 20th, 2011

smart phoneWebsites that use current development standards to incorporate the proper features and functionality will always be a step ahead of their competition. Keeping your online presence updated creates better experiences for the users and ultimately provides a higher return on investment for your online marketing budget.

Here are the Top 6 Signs your website needs an overhaul.

1. Your Website Isn’t Mobile Friendly!
Mobile is already 30% of web browsing, estimated to reach 50% or more in 2 years. Can you be seen?

2. Your Website Isn’t Social!
Social media will help build your brand and bring users to your website. Integration of these networks is an important element to a well rounded website.

3. Your Website Cannot Be Found!
Achieved through content optimization & proper code structure, website optimization is critical to the ongoing success of your website.

4. You Cannot Update Your Own Content!
Professional websites put the control of day to day updates in your hands, through simple to use custom Content Management Systems (CMS).

5. It Doesn’t Generate Leads or Sales!
Modern websites work for your company by utilizing data collection forms, providing registration touch points & building brand awareness.

6. It Simply Looks Outdated!
Web 2.0 site designs take advantage of larger monitor sizes, have a clean & easy-to-understand user interface & take advantage of the power of social media.

So, if your website shows any of these signs, it’s probably time for an overhaul.
Choosing the right team to help with this challenge will make a big difference in your ROI. Corporate Communications, Inc. is an award winning development team, winning 11 Best of the Web Awards from the Rochester Business Journal in the last 6 years. That’s more than any other firm. Let our expertise help you make your website an award winner and start generating revenue for your business.

It’s time to stop making excuses or complaining about the fact that your current website isn’t producing the results you want.

Give us a call at 585-262-3430 or email us info@corp-com.com to learn how we can help.

Posted in Design, Interactive, Web, Website Development | No Comments »

To Online Marketing … and Beyond!

Wednesday, April 20th, 2011

7 Great Ways Your Website Can Take On Business Functionality

Taking your website beyond a websiteA professional design and driving traffic to your website are key ingredients in building an effective web presence, but it doesn’t end there. Thinking beyond the standard website design requires a more in depth look at the overall workflow of your business operation and how you can offer a better experience for your new prospects and loyal customers. Developing better ways to interact with your customers or internal departments with custom online applications, will enhance the efficiency of your business, increase profitability, and put you ahead of the competition.

Whether you are just getting started or you’ve had your website online for a while now, rethinking your approach to website functionality will yield a better return of this investment. Companies that invest their web strategy budget in smart online features and functionality turn their website into an asset instead of an expense. Here are 7 great ideas to introduce business functions into your website.

1. Blogs / Forums / Community Building - Implement a method for your customers to provide valuable input and feedback to help guide the improvement and growth of your business. A blog is also one of the better ways to improve your Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

2. Careers / Job Application Manager - Integrate ways to streamline the process of receiving, tracking and communicating with potential job applicants and candidates. This will help you cast a larger net for better candidates.

3. Client Access - Create an custom online environment that gives your clients the necessary tools to efficiently interact with your business for common tasks and requests for your products and/or services.

4. Online Presentations / Tutorials – Today’s customers tend to avoid the sales process. To get under their radar, incorporate videos or presentations into your website. It allows you to highlight the key features and benefits of your services, introduce new products, provide how-tos, etc.

5. Online Demos / Product Tours – Provide ways for your visitors to ‘kick the tires’ of your products and/or services when they are doing research for their purchasing decisions. Anytime access let’s them explore on their time, at their convenience.

6. Interactive Calculators / Comparison tools - Tools like these create repeat visits, and you’ll also be recognized as a resource location by including methods for users to ‘do their homework’ and produce case evidence for decision makers to build the confidence needed for converting them.

7. Intranet - Develop an internal website / system customized to your business for posting resources, company policy, streamlining internal processes, enhancing productivity and improving the way your business communicates. Centralized, simple, world-wide accessibility makes this a much more lucrative method for delivering and distributing company information.

Features such as these make your web presence and overall web strategy a more valuable tool and will help give you an edge over competitors who don’t offer these options. Not only will these enhancements move you in the right direction toward successfully converting more prospects, they can also improve your bottom line by creating better efficiencies for the way you manage your business.

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How often should I redesign my website?

Wednesday, May 26th, 2010

When is it time to redesign your company’s corporate website? Good question without a simple answer.
If your website has been ‘live’ for a while (let’s say at least 12 months), you may find yourself wondering how often should I redesign my website and is now the time? There are a number of items that should be considered when determining the right time to redesign a website.  Some things will vary from industry to industry but here are a few that should be long reaching.

Does your site conform to existing company branding?

Your company’s website should reflect the corporation’s current identity and brand. If the company has adopted a new identity or is pursuing a renewed branding approach it is critical the website run in parallel with these changes. Failing to bring the website ‘along for the ride’ can increase the number of lost visitors to the site on account of being confused if it is the right website or not. If this is the case – it is time for an immediate website redesign.

How does your site compare to your competitors?

In a competitive marketplace a website must be redesigned more frequently to capture and hold customers attention and build loyalty. This can mean that redesigning your site may need to happen every 12 months (or more often!) In markets that are not as competitive, the gap between website redesigns can be stretched to up to 24 – 36 months. With these longer gaps one must be conscious of other changes taking place with technology and search engines as mentioned above. A partial website redesign (restructuring the backend without drastically changing the appearance) may be appropriate in these cases to stay competitive online.

Is your site compatible with current browser usage?

Want to get a good idea of what browsers users are currently using to browse the web? Check out w3schools.com providing month by month browser statistics – http://www.w3schools.com/browsers/browsers_stats.asp

Web browsers are constantly being updated to address new security threats and to stay current with advancing technology. Additionally new browsers are continually being developed and adopted by users. Commonly sites that are more than 12 – 18 months old are potentially missing out on technologies available in new browsers that could enhance the overall user experience of your website. Having a website that does not function correctly on these new browsers can have a negative impact on the overall user experience of your site and force users to leave your site prematurely.

Is your site optimized to conform to current Search Engine Optimization Standards?

To remain competitive, search engines are constantly ‘tweaking’ the algorithms that serve as their backbones. These modifications will impact where your site appears in the search engine results. To maintain a high position in the natural listings, you need to stay current with these changes and make changes to your site related to the algorithm changes. If your website has not been analyzed and optimized within the past 12 months, you may be missing opportunities due to lower search engine results listing – meaning fewer visitors to your site.

These are a few of the topics that should be considered during the decision process. If after a careful review of the state of your website you determine a website redesign is needed, be sure to address the impacting topics during the website redesign process.

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Posted in Design, Identity, Web | No Comments »